Nowadays, most of us use our computers all day long. Whether you are working on a presentation or preparing for an exam, typing has become a common activity that most people do daily. Both typing and the general use of computers can hurt your wrist and hands.
When you stare at the screen for hours, you don't realize how much you're stretching and gripping your hands. Even though it's important to keep our hands busy, it's not always a good idea to put so much pressure on them all the time. That is why it is important that you should learn how to exercise your hands to ease the tension.
Most hand exercises are simple, and anyone can do them to help reduce tension in your upper body and prevent the development of carpal tunnel syndrome or other repetitive strain injuries (RSIs). However, using a stress ball to exercise your hand and wrist muscle is a more effective way to improve your upper body strength. In this article, you will discover the many stress ball benefits for hands that will help ease your pain and improve your overall well-being.
Are stress balls good for your hands?
Experts say exercising with a stress ball benefits your hand health because it helps to strengthen the muscles of the hands and wrists.
Also, stress balls are fun to squeeze, and they can help to relax your hands, neck, and shoulder muscles, leading to a reduced level of stress. Plus, using stress balls is a form of exercise that aids the release of feel-good hormones like endorphins in the brain. This helps to further reduce tension in the body and increase your feelings of pleasure.
All of these makes stress ball great for people with hand pain because they can help to improve circulation and flexibility.
How can I strengthen my hands with stress balls?
Using stress balls is a good way to strengthen the muscles of your hands and wrist. Some of the hand exercises you can do with a ball include:
Simple grip
This is the easiest and most popular way to use a stress ball. All you have to do is squeeze the ball in the palm of your hands repeatedly. You can do it for thirty seconds to one minute on each hand. However, make sure you don’t squeeze too hard or overdo the exercise, as doing so will hurt your hand muscles. As a rule of thumb, you should stop doing this exercise when you begin to feel pain or discomfort in your hand or wrist.
Basic one-way rotations
This exercise involves just rotating the ball in your hand to stretch your fingers and thumb. Make sure you’re using all of your fingers as you rotate the ball in one direction. When you’re done with one side, you should rotate the ball in the other direction. You should do this for one to two minutes for each hand.
Free Rotation
This exercise is more complex than the basic one-way rotation. To do it, you should rotate the ball with your palms while moving it all around. Make sure all your fingers touch the ball. You can do the free rotation hand exercise with your thumb and palm, either facing up or down. For some people, it might be hard to turn all the way around with your non-dominant hand. But you should do your best and try not to let the ball fall.
Sideways toss
To do this exercise, you should hold the ball and place your hands apart sideways. Then you toss the ball with both hands. You can go slow with this, especially if you're working on your hand mobility or have a painful condition. But as you get more comfortable, you should move your hands farther apart and improve your tossing speed.
Also, try not to look at the ball and see if you can catch it without dropping it.
Experts say that the sideways toss is a good kinesthesia exercise for your hands because you learn to know where your hands are so you can catch the ball and not drop it. To intensify the exercise, you should close your eyes and toss the ball harder. Doing this will push your fingers to the limits, therefore, increasing their strength.
Thumb slide
To do the thumb slide hand exercise, you should grab the ball and curl all your fingers around it. Then, lift your index finger into a hook position by bending it at the pip to prevent the ball from falling. Lastly, slowly slide the thumb across the ball, hold it for a few seconds, then slide it back. You don't have to go all the way around the ball; how far it goes will depend on your level of thumb flexibility. You should do this for about twenty seconds, then repeat the process on your other hand.
Air toss
This hand exercise is very simple. All you have to do is throw the ball in the air with your palm facing up and catch it when it falls. The air toss hand exercises create stretching and griping contractions simultaneously. It is also a good workout for the entire hand and shoulder muscles. You can do this exercise for five to ten minutes daily to strengthen your muscles and increase the range of motion of your hands.
Does squeezing a ball strengthen wrists?
Experts say that squeezing stress balls creates contractions in the muscles of the hands that help to loosen the tension in the area. As a result, your blood flow will increase, and your sore muscles will heal faster. This leads to improved muscle functioning, which increases your hand strength.
Do hand exercise balls work?
Hand exercise balls are made to be more effective than dumbbells and resistance bands. They help you increase your hand’s range of motion, improving your overall flexibility. They are also easy to store and move, which makes them easy to use at home, or anywhere you feel comfortable.
However, if you have an open wound or hand injury, you shouldn't do hand exercises with stress balls. Because doing so might increase your pain and cause further tearing of the muscles.
Conclusion
Doing hand exercises with a stress ball is a very effective way to relax your nerves after a long and stressful day. These exercises help to increase the strength of your hands and wrist. They also reduce tension in your hands and shoulders, which helps you relax. As a result, you’ll be able to avoid pain and injuries and reduce your overall stress level.
コメント